Myanmar is an amazing travel place, there is such an abundance of colour, exotic places and interesting attractions. Few persons know about Myanmar, some only know it as Burma, the old name, and most people have the same reaction when they hear something like this from northern Thailand’s neighbors: “Myanmar, is this even a country?”
It is also fascinating, impressive and strikes you as a cold shower since you make the first step in the airport. Even though I seriously documented myself before going out this spring, nothing prepared me for the reality that you will discover there. Whether you want to get there in the very near future, or want to enrich your general culture a little, you should know a few things about Myanmar.
The national currency is the Kyat, the rate being 350 kyat to 1 leu. Although it may seem surprising, you will find plenty of ATMs in big cities such as Yangon or Mandalay. We, for example, withdrew cash twice in the 17 days, and sometimes, where it was possible, we also paid with the card (generally at hotels). And one more thing: we know that one of the great requirements of all modern tourists, so to speak, is to have, as much as possible, the Internet. Contrary to the information circulating on various sites, the Internet is doing well. We had a SIM with internet, MTP and Telenor, but also wi-fi at hotels, and it was perfect.
Dust country: Before we got here, we didn’t imagine there could be such a dusty country as Myanmar. It’s true that I had read about it, but we thought it must be an exaggeration. It wasn’t. It didn’t take long and I understood that a cloud of dust was practically floating above this country. The worst feeling I experienced was in Nyaungswe (a small town near Inle Lake), in Bagan, in Mandalay and its surroundings. The surgical masks were very useful, which we recommend wholeheartedly if you plan to spend a few days in the area. People: The 17 days I spent in Myanmar started a new challenge for us, to discover another people who are at least as friendly and welcoming as the Burmese. Everyone greets you, everyone smiles, the children gather flowers or fruits with their hands to give them to you, just so, when you visit there, whole families sit and smile broadly if they see that you want to make them picture, it even compliments you at every turn. Find more details on https://globalhawkmyanmar.com/.
We did our best: we had breakfast at the hotel, we prepared Indian dishes, we took over in restaurants with an international menu, although the latter version has a little budget. In order to avoid any controversy, we must mention from the outset that the prices we present refer to hotel accommodations, double rooms with private bathroom, good ratings (especially in the cleaning chapter), with breakfast included, close to tourist objectives, to meals in medium restaurants (neither luxurious nor cellars), air transport especially, since the land would have taken us a long time, and a series of trips.
Yangon (formerly Rangoon) is the commercial capital and largest city. The administrative capital is Naypyidaw. Burmese are Buddhists. If you ask them, they are more Buddhist than the Thai. If you don’t ask them, they don’t seem to mind. Women are safe, religion does not allow them to make obscene gestures or be violent. Don’t be afraid to get in a taxi in Yangon at any time of night, no matter how dubious your driver or taxi might look. However, ask the price before you go up. We paid $ 3 for a race of about 3-4 kilometers, without going crazy. Find extra info at https://globalhawkmyanmar.com/en/tour-program/trekking-tour/.